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I blame the companies providing these services more than the consumers who sign up for them.

• joshdance 13y ago
  The companies providing the service could argue that they are improving people's lives. Fast food give adequate calories fast. Payday loans give needed money fast. Of course both are not beneficial long term and have huge side effects, but you can't blame them. Except for lotteries. Lotteries you can blame the providers. Which is the government.
  • JackFr 13y ago
    Lotteries (and insurance) allow one to trade first moment (expected value) for higher moments (variance and skewness). That someone with very little would try to increase his or her variance at the cost of a little bit of expected value makes sense. That someone with very much would trade some expected value for reducing his or her variance also maes sense.
• TelmoMenezes 13y ago
  Big macs aren't the healthiest food choice by far, but expensive whisky isn't that healthy either. You see a whole lot more posturing against the former than the latter. Why? Status signalling.
• untog 13y ago
  It's also one of those situations where it actually does make sense for the government to intervene. A 2L bottle of Coke is cheaper than 2L of milk. Is it really any surprise when people buy the Coke instead?